The new Cat 307E2 7.2-metric-ton compact excavator is positioned to fill the gap between the company’s 5.5-metric-ton 305.5E2 and 8-metric-ton 308E2 machine, says Sherrie Williams, product application specialist.
At a Cat press conference in November, she announced that 150 of the models, which are manufactured at Caterpillar’s plant in Wujiang, China, were expected to be shipped to the United States by the end of the year. (The 305 and 308 units are made in Athens, Georgia.)
The 307E2 has a 50.6-net-horsepower, 2-liter Cat C2.4 Tier 4 Final engine, high definition hydraulic system and the same cab as the 308E2. “The COMPASS monitor is the number one selling feature on our 308E2, and will be included in the 307E2,” says Williams.
The color-display monitor allows operators to adjust auxiliary flow for better attachment control, select the hydraulic quick coupler to quickly change attachments, enable auto engine idle and the security system. The one-touch “eye” button on the monitor “gives you a complete guide to the machine, offering information such as on who’s logged into the machine and how many hours have been worked on a job,” Williams says.
Standard on the 307E2 are secondary auxiliary hydraulic lines along with a thumb-ready stick. The machine can be fitted with either steel tracks or steel tracks with pads. It can use the same attachments as the 308E2. The fixed-boom machine has a standard tail swing.
